Switcharooni

by sb

Q: Hey there! You just saved me $70 and 5-8 days without a phone! How?

So I have a Motorola Photon Q through Sprint, and I love the phone, but hate Sprint. I didn't figure there was a way to convert a plan phone to a prepaid one, so I was just about to buy another Photon Q through Kroger i-Wireless (mine still looks brand new).

Then I came across your website and saw that I can in fact transfer my phone from the Sprint network to i-Wireless. Thanks! But my question is How do I do that? Do I call Sprint? Or i-Wireless? And can I keep my same number too? Anyways, thanks ahead of time for your help!

--------------My Reply was in two parts:

The Bad NewsHi,

Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, You cannot transfer an active Sprint device to i-Wireless. It has to be an inactive device. (I should have made that clearer on my site.) I called up customer support at i-Wireless and this is what they said you can do if you want to keep your number and use your Photon Q with i-Wireless.

A Solution

First you have to purchase a phone from i-Wireless and port your number to that phone. You can purchase an inexpensive device such as a $5 button phone and port your number over from Sprint. This process takes from 24 to 72 hours. When you do the port, you will need your Sprint phone number, account number and any passwords associated with the account.

Once the port is completed and the new device is operating with your phone number, you can cancel your Sprint service and this should render your Photon Q inactive. Once that takes place, you can transfer your i-Wireless service from that button phone to your now inactive Photon Q.

You have to jump through a couple of hoops, but this is the procedure that the representative at i-Wireless suggested. I have not attempted this myself.

Another Way

Another alternative would be to skip the hassle, buy the Q from i-Wireless and port your number, and then cancel your Sprint service and try to sell your inactive Sprint phone on a site like Swappa (again, I have not personally used the site).

Regards.

Note: I received the original inquiry from a site visitor via the feedback form and received permission to post it and my reply.